Hailing from Slovakia, FLEA Microphones has built a well-deserved reputation in classic vintage mic reproductions for over 20 years. They’ve tackled reinterpretations of iconic tube mics such as the AKG C12, the Neumann U 47, U 49, and M 49, and recently the renowned Telefunken ELA M 251. FLEA has taken...
Focusrite has had a firm foothold in the growing world of Dante-networked hardware for several years, and one of the cornerstones of their RedNet products has been the PCIeNX card, designed for use with tower computers or expansion enclosures. With many studios and artists now using desktop or laptop...
The HOC500 is labeled as a "parallel opto compressor," and is a cousin to Hamptone's HOC1 half-rack version [Tape Op#100]. Adapted for a 500 Series chassis, there's a lot less room for controls, so a unique feature set has been adapted here. A pair of house-made opto cells are run...
At almost 600 pages, this is a hefty book, and I just finished reading every word of it. Mixerman is Eric Sarafin [Tape Op #34]; an engineer, producer, mixer, musician, and writer with many decades of real experience making records. Subtitled "Everything You Need to Know About Producing, Recording,...
What is plunk? It's simply a piece of grooved rubber that fits on 6-string guitars right next to the bridge, damping the strings' sustain significantly. Inspired by the Reuben Cox (Old Style Guitar Shop, Los Angeles) rubber bridge guitars that are all the rage (Phoebe Bridgers, Blake Mills...
In late 1996, I heard the “Setting Sun” radio single (featuring Noel Gallagher) by The Chemical Brothers. The sound was so unexpected and bombastic that it felt like the opening salvo of a pop revolution. My knowledge of synth-based music at that time ran fairly deep, encompassing genres from dance...
Over the past several decades, many of our most essential tools from the analog era have either adapted to give us more flexibility, recallability, and automation, or been replaced by digital versions in which these features are much easier to implement (and now come standard). One holdout, until very...
These are the most accurate speakers I’ve heard. Listening to them, especially for extended periods of time, is truly a revelation. I was lucky enough to host the public unveiling of this model during the opening party for my new home studio in Nashville. Earlier in the week, Roger Roschnik and Fabrice...
Kassia Lemieux and Dan Rouleau put Montreal on notice with their circuit-bending and refinishing of audio electronics under the moniker Screwed Circuitz. Then, in 2022, the duo founded Days of Yore to develop creative tools with aesthetics inspired by mid-20th-century consumer electronics built into...
Okay, my studio might need an exorcist now. We're testing out the Demon Box, an odd analog/digital hybrid instrument/controller/listening device that translates EMF (electromagnetic fields) into audio, MIDI, and control voltage (CV) signals. It's the first commercial product from L.A.-based...
I made a few huge decisions and changes to my studio this year, which involved selling almost everything in my control room and starting from scratch. I needed a very specific, specialized recording interface for my needs. Because I was already massively over budget, I was going to have to wait before...
I’m a fanboy of Grace Design's gear, so when they announced the m701 interface at the NAMM Show in January, I immediately got in touch with Michael and Eben Grace to ask if I might be able to review it when it became available. Now that I’ve had a beta unit here in my studio for a few months, I...
With an extensive background as the lead tech for a pro audio retailer and the service manager for a console manufacturer, Alex “Skip” Welti founded Creation Audio Labs in 2003. He began working as a mobile tech for studios around Nashville, repairing everything from consoles to guitar amps in his shop....
Here are books I enjoyed reading that cover two important underground music scenes that may have escaped some folks’ notice. Needles and Plastic, subtitled Flying Nun Records, 1981-1988, is an exhaustive tome by Matthew Goody. It discusses every record released by the New Zealand label Flying Nun over...
Apogee has long provided a range of audio professionals with tailored interface choices, from the portable Duet [Tape Op#150] and Symphony Desktop [#142] to the flagship Symphony I/O Mk II [#140]. Their latest addition, the Symphony Studio series, smartly fills the gap with single rack space interfaces...
Each year, more examples of vintage-inspired EQs, compressors, preamps, and mics are made available. Big-name brands, as well as boutique manufacturers, seem to think we all have an endless appetite for clones of classic gear. Consequently, contemporary designs of bread-and-butter products are rarely...
The PSPaudioware DRC dynamic range controller is one of the most noteworthy plug-ins I have seen in a long time. Using the dbx 118 Dynamic Range Enhancer as a foundation, the DRC is neither a clone nor an emulation. Enhanced controls offer users deeper adjustments than the original, however, the extra...
The Motor Synth MkII from Gamechanger Audio is, by some margin, the most original synthesizer design I've seen (and heard!) in some time. It's a desktop unit that generates audio waveforms via its eight variable-speed internal drone motors – that's "drone" as in UAS/UAV/quadcopter....